Tag: Bereavement

Online CBT and Bereaved Persons

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Research Paper Title

Online cognitive-behavioural therapy for traumatically bereaved people: study protocol for a randomised waitlist-controlled trial.

Background

The traumatic death of a loved one, such as death due to a traffic accident, can precipitate persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) and comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Waitlist-controlled trials have shown that grief-specific cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for such mental health problems.

This is the first study that will examine the effectiveness of online CBT (vs waitlist controls) in a sample exclusively comprised of people bereaved by a traumatic death.

The primary hypothesis is that people allocated to the online CBT condition will show larger reductions in PCBD, PTSD and depression symptom levels at post-treatment than people allocated to a waitlist. The researchers further expect that reductions in symptom levels during treatment are associated with reductions of negative cognitions and avoidance behaviours and the experience of fewer accident-related stressors. Moreover, the effect of the quality of the therapeutic alliance on treatment effects and drop-out rates will be explored.

Methods

A two-arm (online CBT vs waiting list) open-label parallel randomised controlled trial will be conducted. Participants will complete questionnaires at pretreatment and 12 and 20 weeks after study enrolment.

Eligible for participation are Dutch adults who lost a loved one at least 1 year earlier due to a traffic accident and report clinically relevant levels of PCBD, PTSD and/or depression. Multilevel modelling will be used.

Ethics and Dissemination

Ethics approval has been received by the Medical Ethics Review Board of the University Medical Center Groningen (METc UMCG: M20.252121). This study will provide new insights in the effectiveness of online CBT for traumatically bereaved people.

If the treatment is demonstrated to be effective, it will be made publicly accessible.

Findings will be disseminated among:

  • Lay people (eg, through newsletters and media performances);
  • Our collaborators (eg, through presentations at support organisations); and
  • Clinicians and researchers (eg, through conference presentations and scientific journal articles).

Reference

Lenferink, L., de Keijser, J., Eisma, M., Smid, G. & Boelen, P. (2020) Online cognitive-behavioural therapy for traumatically bereaved people: study protocol for a randomised waitlist-controlled trial. BMJ Open. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035050.

Identifying Mental Illness

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Mental illness cannot always be clearly differentiated from normal behaviour.

For example, distinguishing normal bereavement from depression may be difficult in people who have had a significant loss, such as the death of a spouse or child, because both involve sadness and a depressed mood.

In the same manner, deciding whether a diagnosis of anxiety disorder applies to people who are worried and stressed about work can be challenging because most people experience these feelings at some time.

The line between having certain personality traits and having a personality disorder can be blurry.

Thus, mental illness and mental health are best thought of as being on a continuum.

Any dividing line is usually based on the following:

  • How severe the symptoms are;
  • How long symptoms last; and
  • How much symptoms affect the ability to function in daily life.